Fake Escape Pt 02

Chapter 4

Bailey

I was up at seven-thirty sharp, waiting for Killian to get to the hospital, but after a long night of tossing and turning with a fussy infant who didn't know how to latch on properly I was so exhausted I fell back asleep. When I finally woke back up at ten a.m. he still wasn't here. I didn't know how petty I should be, if I should tell Uncle Mike about Killian's antics or if I should just let it slide.

It wasn't like me to cover for someone either though, so I really didn't know how to handle the questions when they came. And they would come. Uncle Mike would be with Dad when I got out of this medical prison. He was forcing me to stay with him for a few weeks since I didn't have someone to take care of me. If Killian would have actually shown up and proved to my father that he was here, Dad would let me stay at my own apartment.

I rolled over and checked my phone. I never got his number either, so there was no way for me to call him and rag on him for being a flake. I didn't know why I even expected him to show up. A guy like that isn't dependable or trustworthy. The only thing you could count on from his type was irresponsibility and reckless behavior.

With no notifications my phone was boring. I dropped it on the mattress and stared out the window. With zero sleep happening the nurses offered to take Sienna out of the room so I could rest, to which I instantly agreed. I'd have to go home and care for her myself and I'd have to adjust to sleepless nights at some point, but after twenty-two hours of labor I needed the rest.

The room was silent. I heard voices out in the hall and an infant crying. Instinctively I knew it was my baby, though I didn't know how that worked. Before the door opened, I sat straighter and ran my hand through my hair to attempt to look put-together, but without a mirror it was the best I could do. My bladder was screaming, but I stayed put in bed.

When the door swung open I was surprised to see a new nurse pushing Sienna's bassinet in the room followed by the smiling face of Killian Welch. He held a cup of coffee in one hand and a teddy bear in the other. It confused me, because even though I had told him sternly to be here or I would tell Uncle Mike his secret, I didn't really think he'd show up.

"Good morning, Momma... You have a visitor..." The nurse rolled the bassinet up next to the bed and Sienna wailed loudly. "She's hungry and ready to nurse. Do you want me to wait and help you get her latched?"

The struggle all night was frustrating, but I didn't want the help. I honestly just wanted to go home and if it continued to be an issue I would bottle feed her. It was embarrassing.

"I'm okay... I'll call if I need you."

The nurse reached into the bassinet as Killian made himself comfortable sitting on the foot of my bed facing me. She handed Sienna to me and I brought her to my chest and nuzzled her. She smelled like baby shampoo and sterile hospital, but I loved her more deeply than I had ever loved anyone. It was an instant bond the first second I saw her.

"Hey, sweet girl, Momma's here." I kissed her head softly and cradled her as I undid the shoulder of my gown. I was tired and sore. She was hungry and scared. This moment should have been frustrating but I guided her lips to my nipple to suckle and finally after a dozen times trying, she latched on and began to nurse.

"Oh, see you have it now." The nurse clapped her hands and smiled. "I'll come back in about thirty minutes to check your vitals. We'll see how she does during that time."

Killian sat silently through the whole exchange and when the nurse left I looked at him. His eyes were trained on my bare chest and I felt a little self-conscious.

"Do you mind?" I asked, and I used my blanket to cover me and Sienna. This was totally fake in every way. He didn't need to ogle my tits and get his rocks off.

"Does it feel weird?" he asked, and he nodded at Sienna. "You know... that a baby is molesting you?" His stupid snicker was immature and uncalled for.

"First of all, you don't get to judge me. You need my help. Second of all, nursing is the most natural thing in the world. Every mammalian species does it. It's healthy for Sienna and I don't appreciate you acting like a ten-year-old." The instant frustration that came out of me was surprising. I chalked it up to being a momma bear with a cub and nothing more.

"Geez, I was just curious. I didn't mean to insult you." He sipped from his cup of coffee and I wished he'd brought me one. This no caffeine thing sucked, and I doubted I'd make it more than a few days without my morning brew.

"Yeah, it feels weird, okay. It's not like sex. It's clearly breastfeeding." My cheeks burned and I looked down at Sienna nestled in the blanket and pulled it back so I could see her more clearly. I wasn't the type of person who could ever see a familial resemblance between baby and parent, but even I had to admit she was a spitting image of me.

"You look like shit," he blurted out and I lost my patience.

"You are an ass. You were supposed to be here at eight a.m., not ten, and you come into my hospital room needing my help and insult me twice?" This guy was a jerk. I doubted if we met under different circumstances that I'd even want to be in the same room with him, let alone befriend or date him.

"Ah, well that's where you're wrong. I've been here since seven forty-five and they wouldn't let me come in. They said you had a long night with baby and needed the rest. So I sat in the family waiting room and got a shitty cup of coffee." He raised the cup and winked at me. "You're welcome."

Keeping my head down, I didn't let him see the surprise that happened inside of me at his confession. So he wasn't late. He was being respectful at the nurses' behest. That was something positive about him at least. But it didn't outweigh his immaturity.

"So why'd you want me here anyway?" Killian shifted and sat farther onto the bed and I looked up at him.

He really was a handsome guy. Dark blonde hair, dazzling smile, bright blue eyes. Such a shame he used his good looks to manipulate women and get what he wanted. He didn't need to. Plenty of women would chase him just for his name, let alone his millions.

"My Dad is coming after a while. I wanted us to have our stories straight. If we're going to sell this thing it has to be done right." For the past month I'd been staying at my father's house. When I moved out he was anxious and micromanaged everything. When I told Dad I was pregnant he almost had a mental breakdown. So now that the baby was here, I was expecting full helicopter parenting to ensue.

When Mom ran out on us, controlling me had become the sole focus of his life and he just couldn't see that I was grown up and didn't need that much parenting. I still needed him, but he couldn't find the balance.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Killian took a long drink from his cup and then crushed it. The plastic lid popped off, sailing high into the air. On its descent he caught it and stood, walking it to the trash can. "I say it was a one-night stand and you tracked me down after the fact." With his back to me was the perfect time to check out his ass, which was fine. Everything about him was intoxicating but I knew it was also toxic. Not a good combo.

"Fine, so where was the party and when?" Sienna squirmed and I held her to my breast so she didn't break the latch. It made me look down at her again and see her tiny lips working hard to get nourishment. There was something so sweet and mesmerizing about it. I wondered if my mother had nursed me and felt this bond, and if so, how she could ever just up and leave me.

"Hell I don't know. When did you know you were knocked up?" Killian shook the bed as he plopped back down and I scowled.

"I prefer the term 'pregnant' because 'knocked up' sounds really crude."

"Fuck, I didn't realize you were a puritan. This must be a virgin birth then." The first hint of annoyance crossed his face and I felt my shoulders droop.

I didn't need him to like me. I didn't need him to want to be here. I just needed that money. The hospital bill alone would be astronomical and with my maternity leave I'd be flat broke for months.

"Nice," I mumbled and I felt tears welling up. It was something that had been happening to me for months, ever since I found out I was pregnant. I wasn't a crier. I was a calm and collected person. I hated hormones.

"Geez," he grunted. Then he grabbed a few tissues and handed them to me. "Guess it's true what they say about pregnant women and crying. I didn't mean to upset you."

I took the tissues from his hand and wiped my face. Maybe we could just have a huge fight right here and stage the breakup already. He clearly didn't want to be doing this, and I could still keep him on the hook for the money. I didn't have the emotional energy to play some huge game with him.

"Look, Killian, you can just go. I'll tell my family we had an argument and you left. I'll tell them you are still paying for everything but that you're signing over full custody to me. I can whip up some fake papers that look real or something. I can tell you really don't want any part of this. I'll make sure Mike lays off and that you're in the clear, but I do need financial help if you're still able to help me. If not, that's okay."

I felt like I sank into the bed farther and farther with each statement. Yes, I crushed on him from afar; what hot blooded woman with eyes wouldn't? Yes, I wanted him to stick around for more reasons than just the money; I needed his backing so Dad would lay the entire fuck off my back. But if it meant being degraded, mocked, and bullied, I couldn't deal with it. And if he wasn't happy, I didn't want him here anyway.

"Woah, I keep my word when I say something..." He scooted closer to me. "Is everything okay?" he asked, and when his hand rested on my knee I wanted to pull away. But to do so would mean readjusting Sienna who was nursing so well.

"It's actually not." My chin rose and I looked him in the eye. "You don't understand because you never had to work a day in your life, but I have it really hard. I fucked up and got wasted at a party. There were at least thirty guys there and not a single one of them has come forward to say we had sex. I have no clue who it was. It's embarrassing as fuck to explain to my family why there is no man in the picture.

"Not to mention, I have to take at least four weeks off work while trying to pay bills. My Dad barely lets me out of his sight, and I don't want to move back in with him, but I have to now. Not only because I can't afford to pay rent if I'm not working, but he won't let me live alone. He thinks a baby needs a man in their life."

I was upset and the tears kept rolling down my cheeks. It was all self-pity and I knew it, but I was angry with the way things went. I wouldn't trade Sienna for the world, but being a single mom was already harder than I imagined it would be.

"So just go," I blubbed and then I covered my face and expected him to get up and leave happily. He was released from any obligation with assurance that he wouldn't even get in trouble. What more could he want?

But he stayed.

Killian's hand gripped my knee more tightly until I looked up at him. "I didn't realize all that was going on, Bailey. I know how shitty it is when your Dad's a douche." He sighed and relaxed his shoulders. "It sounds like we need each other actually, because my dad has been riding my ass about growing up and being more responsible. Maybe showing him I can take care of someone will prove I'm not just a jerk-off like he thinks."

"But aren't you?" I asked, and it was my turn to see the sting of insult on his face.

"That's fair..." He swallowed and turned to look out the window. "But I'm trying. Old habits are hard to break. There's a reason I screw off all the time, you know. And it's not because I'm lazy or refusing to grow up."

I wanted to ask what it was, but we were total strangers--at least for now. That was the sort of thing friends shared or lovers, but acquaintances didn't get the goods. I just overshared times a billion but I thought I'd never see him again. Still, I didn't feel awkward about it. I felt seen and heard.

"Thank you for listening. But you can really go if you want. No need to stay." Sienna broke her latch and I wrestled with the blanket trying to bring her to my shoulder to pat her back. This time as my entire breast was bare to the room, Killian looked down sheepishly and I saw his cheeks flush, so I quickly flopped the shoulder of the gown back up into position and said, "I'm decent..."

When he looked me in the eye he said, "You are more than decent, Bailey. And I'm not leaving. I gave you my word and I intend to keep it. If me sticking around and playing the part for a while makes your Dad see you as capable, I want to do that. It's like quad pro quo or something."

"That's quid pro quo, and I guess you're right. It sounds like your dad doesn't see you either." The moment of bonding over such a strange topic warmed my heart. There was more than meets the eye to Killian Welch and I had a feeling that before it was all over with I'd learn what it was that made him who he was.

"So, our story?" he asked, then he reached toward me. "Let me burp her."

I smiled. I was feeling better about this already. I might not have made a lasting friend in him, but the fact that he was sticking around showed his humanity. Now to soften some of his rough edges and Dad would at least be forced to see I was growing up. If not, nothing would ever make Dad see. I didn't know how I'd help Killian and how his father saw him either, and it felt lopsided now.

He may have selfish motives in sticking around too, but he was risking his reputation on dating a poor, broke college dropout. That said something about his heart. I wanted to know more about him now... Maybe everything about him.

Chapter 5

Killian

When I took Bailey home I expected there to be baby furniture coming out her ears, bouncers and swings, highchairs, bassinets.... But she had one simple crib in the corner of her living room and that was it. The modest one-bedroom apartment wasn't big enough for her, let alone a kid. She didn't even have a good place to put Sienna's car seat when she set it down. The center of the coffee table was the only spot large enough.

"Just move my basket of laundry to the corner over there. You can sit on the couch then." Bailey dropped her purse next to the car seat and turned back toward me but there was no room for her walk past. I had to back up and stand aside at the end of the couch.

This place looked like it used to be one tiny bedroom that someone added a full kitchen into. If I laid down across the floor I might even be able to touch opposite walls at the same time.

"What?" she asked, and I shook my head.

"Nothing," I mumbled and she walked past me, then through the only door in the place.

This entire apartment wasn't even as big as my dining room, though I didn't expect much when I pulled up outside. The older two-story home had been divided into upstairs and downstairs, the upper part being a third the space of the lower. Stairs had been built on the outside of the house with a door entering this dinky room. I was tempted to peek into her bedroom but thought better of it. I could never live like this.

"How much do you pay per month for this?" I called, and then I plopped onto the sofa. Sienna squirmed, startled by my shout. She was going to be one of those kids who couldn't sleep if there was noise. I pitied Bailey for that. If I ever had kids, which I had no intention of happening any time soon, I wanted them to be the sort that slept through everything. I was certain that was how God intended it.

I heard the toilet flush and assumed it was through the bedroom where Bailey had gone. She appeared in the doorway and her sandy hair had been tied up into a messy bun. She had also splashed on a bit of makeup, which made her look fresher. She was pretty enough without it but damn a girl who lived like this was so far below the standard of who I normally dated.

"It's like fifteen hundred a month plus utilities." She walked past the couch which served as a divider between the sitting area and the kitchen area and headed for the fridge. "Drink?" she asked, I glanced over my shoulder at her.

"Uh, sure... beer."

She straightened and scowled at me. "Look at this place, Killian. Does it look like I have money to throw away on something as stupid as alcohol?" Her stormy eyes were as much of a chastisement as her words. A woman this hard up offering me a drink from her fridge was like offering water to the gods. I got it; it just took me a second.

"Sorry." If my friends saw this place they'd freak out. The shoes on my feet cost more than everything she had in this place. She needed the money I promised to give her worse than I did. I'd probably blow it on new rims for my Bentley or something.

She brought two sodas into the room and held one out for me.

"So what did you say you do for a living?" I reached for the can and she smacked it into my hand before she picked up the laundry basket and set it on top of a cardboard box in the corner of the room with a scowl.

"I'm an assistant in the accounting department at Freshway, but I'm still finishing my accounting degree. The classes just cost a fortune and with a baby..." I heard her tone shift and noticed she seemed to shut down a little. "Anyway, I think my dad will be over soon. He insists that I stay with him, but I really don't want to. So I need you to stay here and--"

The knock on the door interrupted her and I watched her roll her eyes. "I take it that's the dad man?" I moved my feet out of the way so she didn't have to climb across me as she stood and headed for the door.

"Yeah, probably. Just play nice and pretend we're a happy couple and remember you owe me."

Bailey trudged to the door, stomping all the way, and flung it open. Her tone shifted from grumpy to bubbly as soon as she said, "Hey, Daddy..." I couldn't see her but I heard her smack a kiss on his cheek and shut the door.

So like any respectable gentleman I stood and turned to face that direction. Bailey was walking toward the fridge and her father, who bore a striking resemblance to Uncle Deputy, stood near the door with his hands in his pockets. His chest was puffed out, though the sheer size of it was already intimidating. This man could snap me like a twig if he wanted to and that was saying something.

"Who's your friend?" he grumbled and a scowl stretched across his forehead and lips before vanishing as Bailey turned around with a soda in hand.

"This is Killian, Dad. I told you about him..." The nonchalant way she threw in that lie rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. As a person who slipped in a white lie every now and then I shouldn't have cared, but it bothered me.

"Killian Welch, sir." I stepped forward and held out my hand but he glowered at it and took the soda from his daughter.

"Play nice," she chided before stepping around me and sitting on the couch where she had been seated before he knocked. I knew almost nothing about her and here I was thrust into a "meet the parent" situation.

My hand still held out, I waited for him to shake it. He polished a tooth with his tongue before gripping my hand so tightly I thought he'd break it. I didn't wince or let it show on my face, but it hurt. When he pulled away I was relieved. He had something to prove, and my guess was that he loved his daughter very much and would do anything to protect her.

"Come sit down," Bailey said and like an obedient puppy I turned and walked back to the couch. This time, however, I sat closer--way closer.